Rainbow Facility: Part II
by TrueBobJoe
Summary: The sequel to Rainbow Horror, in a world not based off of Equestria, but with humans. This time, Spark faces a contract to help her cause against the famous but devilish Dash, but she isn't sure what she may lose in the process.
1. Return

Chapter 1

Return

Spark flew as fast as she could to the place that she called home. It was raining hard, and she was bleeding from glass shard wounds. She had just accomplished a feat no other flier had done before… she had escaped the Rainbow Factory.

Even thinking about the dark, horrid building made Spark feel sick. The factory was made out of cold, hard iron that made it hard to escape. She had just a day before watched her friend, Spike, die horribly. Spark herself had just narrowly escaped, leaving the fliers behind.

What was it all for, though? The reason behind which Spike, Spark and their friend, Dawn had been there was for failing their high school (Daring Dash High) flying exams.

Worse, yet, is the high school's name. Daring Dash High was named after Dash Mallus, a renowned airball player. Dash had been leading a secret life as the Rainbow Factory's executive leader. This being said, Dash had condemned the high school failed students for a simple colorful arch.

Spark shook her head and accelerated towards her home, where she had to tell the world about Dash and the Rainbow Facility. It had been Dawn's final wish.

"Go! You have to tell everyone about this place! Don't forget me!" Dawn's words echoed in her head as Spark remembered how Dawn had stopped Dash from pummeling her to death.

Spark's small house came into view as she burst over a cloud. She quickly swerved downwards and landed smoothly on her front porch and bolted inside.

"Mom!" Spark cried.

"Spark?" called her mother. "I was wondering where you were yesterday! I figured they had just kept you there as procedure. I'm in the living room!" Spark took a deep breath as she stepped across the kitchen into the living room. She looked to the TV that her mom was watching. Spark's mom was watching a game of airball. Dash appeared on the screen, smiling like some sort of superhero. Spark's stomach churned.

"How did your exam go, Spark?" her mother asked without looking at her.

"I failed," Spark said shortly, "but that's the least of our concerns –"

"You _what?_" Spark's mom turned from her swivel chair and shot her an icy glare through her red-framed spectacles.

"I said I failed my exam, mom," Spark said, her temper rising, "but there are more impor –"

"Go to your room, young lady!" her mom said, her voice escalating, "I'm very, _very _disappointed in you."

"But –"

"GO!" she shouted. Spark felt as if steam was pouring from her ears as she stomped up the stairs furiously. She was now being punished without being able to voice what had really happened yesterday. Spark was completely fine with her mother's disappointment, but why wasn't she allowed to talk?

Spark threw herself on her bed and punched her white pillow, still bleeding. Only a day before, Spark had been talking to Spike on the phone before meeting with him in Airchester. She looked towards the window she always used to fly away from her house. It was still pouring rain gloomily. Spark had also just realized she was dripping water all over her bed.

"Oh, no…" She pulled a towel out of her private bathroom, dried herself of blood and water and placed it on her bed o she could sleep later.

This was assuming Spark would ever sleep again after the terrifying images in her head.

Spark lied down on the ground and calmed herself, beginning to structure an argument she would have with her mother in a few moments.

~O~

"I didn't say you could come out of your room," Spark's mom said, hearing Spark walk down the cloud stairs, "Please, return to your room."

"No."

"What did you say to me?" Spark's mother looked up from her book.

"Give me a chance to explain what happened." Spark replied angrily through clenched teeth.

"Go on, then," Mrs. Taller replied, "This better be worth my time. Your father will be home soon,"

"I know I failed my exam," Spark explained, "but that's not important."

"I thought you were telling me why you failed your exam –"

"That's not it!" Spark burst out, "It's the punishment!"

"Me grounding you is not an uncommon punishment –"

"No, no," Spark interrupted, slapping her hand to her face, "It was the school-assigned punishment!"

"What happened?" her mother persisted.

"We got on a bus," Spark said, "The bus took us to an iron facility."

"Strange," Mrs. Taller thought aloud, "Why did they take you to an iron facility?"

"So we could make rainbows, apparently," Spark answered, "This happened to be called the 'Rainbow Factory.'"

"Why is this so terrible, again?" Mrs. Taller sighed.

"They killed my best friends and two other students, and more will die soon!" Spark cried, bursting into tears.

"What are you talking about?"

"They crush the failed students with a horrible machine and turn their remains into rainbows!" shouted Spark.

"Which friends of yours?" asked Mrs. Taller.

"Spike is dead," Spark croaked, "My friend Dawn is probably dead by now, too. I only narrowly escaped through the window."

"I'm so sorry your friends died in such a terrible accident," Spark's mother said, "But I'm sure they wouldn't want you to remember them by their deaths, but rather by their lives."

"WHAT?" shrieked Spark, infuriated by her mother's words, "How can you say 'accident' after what I've just told you? My friends were murdered by Dash's machinery!"

Mrs. Taller stared into Spark's damp eyes for a long while before bursting out into laughter.

"Ha, you had me going there for a second," Spark's mom laughed, "but do you mean Dash? As in _the _Dash? Dash Mallus?" Mrs. Taller laughed uncontrollably.

"It's not funny!" screamed Spark, "Spike and Dawn are dead! Dash killed them, just to make stupid rainbows!" Mrs. Taller slowed her laughter.

"Really? Is this just a pity story so your exam failure is less of a disgrace?" Mrs. Taller asked, "A famous airball player crushed my best friends, who also happened to fail their exams, so that they could be made into rainbows! Good one," Spark's eyes burned with fury. She was surprised that her tears hadn't evaporated from her heated eyes.

"So, where are you hiding Spike? Prank's over." Mrs. Taller said, craning her neck around Spark's back.

"He's not hiding, he's just waiting to shine across the sky in the next rainbow exported by that forsaken factory," Spark said, her voice quivering with rage. Spark pivoted towards the stairs and stomped up them again, purposely destroying the top stair by jumping n it. She slammed her door shut and threw herself onto her now dry bed and pummeled her pillow as hard as she could and began to cry more.

As Spark bawled into her bed, she began to consider what her mom had thought of her tale of woe. The way she had recounted it to her sadly _did _reek of fantasy. But Spark knew in her heart that she was right, for it was far too vivid a scene to be false.

Suddenly, another question struck her.

"If my own mom won't believe me… who will?" Had she failed Dawn's final request already? Would anyone ever believe her? Questions stormed through her head.

_Ding-dong. _The doorbell rang.

"Paper!" called Mrs. Taller.

"I've got it." Spark jumped out of bed and wiped her eyes. She flew down the stairs and flung it open wide.

"Mail delivery," said the blue-haired man outside of the door. He had one arm raised to protect him and the mail from the storm.

"Shame to only live on the first level of clouds, huh?" Spark asked sociably.

"Indeed it is," replied the man, handing her a newspaper, "Are you, by chance, Spark Taller?" Spark was taken aback by the question.

"Er, yes."

"Well, a nice lady gave me a box to give to you," the mailman said, "Here you go."

"Do you know the address?" asked Spark. The man shook his head.

"How about her name?"

"Nope," the man said, "Sorry."

"Age?" Spark persisted.

"Middle-aged," the mailman revealed, "Looked like a mother."

"Oh, okay," Spark said, though it didn't really clear up anything, "Thank you, Mr. Mailman!"

"You're welcome!" exclaimed the mailman modestly, flying away. Spark closed the door and walked upstairs with the box, forgetting to leave the newspaper for her mom. As soon as she realized this, she flew the paper down on the floor and jumped onto her bed with the box. Spark warmed up her fingers and pried open the cardboard package.

To her surprise, and dismay, there was but a slip of paper.

_**I'M WITH YOU.**_

These were the only words the note read. There was no distinctive or recognizable handwriting, and no signature. Disappointed, she threw the box away and put the paper under her soft bed. As she did this, she spotted the newspaper she had accidentally brought upstairs. It had flipped to the obituaries page. Curious, Spark picked up the paper and began reading names.

"Maccius Williams, Petunia Figg, Cariz Heim, Jackal Ordan, Spike Striker…" Spark's heart dropped as she read Spike's name. When she read the entire obituary, she noticed he was found with "cuts around the neck."

"I hate the press!" cried Spark, throwing the paper. She guessed the other deaths were names of the other students' names. Spike's name was the last on the list. Spark quickly realized that there was a missing name.

"Dawn!"


	2. Reunion

Chapter 2

Reunion

Spark spent the rest of the day burying her sorrow and begging her mom to use the computer.

"No, you're grounded," Mrs. Taller insisted, "What do you need it for, anyway?"

"I need to find a friend," Spark answered, trying not to get angry, "It's all I need it for. I swear!"

"Fine, then," her mother said, "I hope you know you aren't allowed to visit them, though, seeing as you're grounded."

The thought hadn't occurred to Spark.

"How long am I grounded?"

"Let's just say… two weeks."

"What?" Spark was appalled, "I can't wait that long!"

"Oh, well," Miss Taller said, "You'll get used to it."

~O~

Later, when Spark had found Dawn's address, she was surprised to find she lived in the high-class society of the upper clouds. Dawn seemed like a very humble person.

Spark paced back and fourth through her room, trying to think of ways to convince her mom to let her go to Dawn's house. Unfortunately, asking her would only result in a response such as,

"Didn't you say Dawn had been killed? Are you admitting to lying?"

Spark sighed as she threw herself on her bed and gazed out her window. She needed to contact Dawn as soon as possible.

A flying delivery truck zoomed past Spark's window. Two followed shortly after. Spark could hear a fourth coming. Disregarding the consequences, she ran to her window and spring boarded off of the windowsill, nearly bumping her head on the wooden frame. The truck was flying directly at her.

Spark quickly threw her weight downwards and reached up. The truck's bottom smacked hard against her hand and she nearly lost her grip. The truck entered the highway area, and Spark was barely keeping herself from touching the road. The top of her head was facing towards the front of the truck. Her legs were pushed towards the back by the air force. Spark was using all of the arm strength she could muster just to say on. She quickly let go and grabbed again. She was beginning to advance to the back of the truck.

Once at the back, Spark was barely able to breathe. She pulled herself up from the underside, and the woman driving behind the delivery truck was shocked as Spark appeared, hanging onto the truck.

Spark was getting tired of climbing. She finally pulled herself to the top of the truck and surveyed the highway. A lane to the left, there was an empty taxi. Unfortunately, it was also a few cars behind the truck.

For a moment, Spark considered jumping diagonally. Deciding it was too dangerous she jumped in place. The truck disappeared from beneath her as it sped forward. Spark landed two cars behind the truck. The taxi was still quite a bit away. She jumped to the left and landed on a small car, denting its roof. Spark hung her head into the window. The driver was surprised.

"Sorry!" apologized Spark before hopping to another car, nearly falling off. Only one more jump, and Spark would reach the taxi. Then, it would only be a matter of getting in.

Spark leapt to the taxi, dragging her feet over the windshield. The cab driver swerved, almost crashing into the roadside. Spark carefully pried the taxi's door open and swung in, landing across the seats on her back.

"How… how did you just…?" the cab driver stuttered.

"Just let me get somewhere," demanded Spark, gasping for air. She slapped money into his hand.

"15 Cumulo Drive."

"I'm sorry, miss," the cab driver said, "This cab only stays on the bottom level of clouds. You understand, right?"

Spark just threw another five dollars.

~O~

The taxi dropped Spark off in the quaint neighborhood that was Cumulo Drive.

The atmosphere was friendly, the buildings were in pristine shape, and Spark could hear children playing and flowing water.

Suddenly, there was a click, followed by a creaking sound.

"Spark?" Spark turned to the voice that had called her name. Sure as daylight, Dawn stood in the doorway of the house Spark had requested to be taken to.

Joy flooded Spark as she ran happily to meet her friend whom she had believed to be dead. She rushed to Dawn and hugged her tightly.

"How did you do it?" Spark whispered. She ended the embrace.

"Do what?" asked Dawn.

"Escape!"

"It's a long story, and it's not a happy one, either," Dawn answered, "Come inside." Spark had only just noticed Dawn's black eye, bruises and cuts.

"Oh," said Spark, stepping into the two-story house.

"Let's just sit on the couch," Dawn suggested, "We can talk there."

"Where are you parents?" asked Spark.

"They're at work," answered Dawn simply.

"How did you escape the Rainbow Factory?" Spark questioned her friend.

"Okay, here goes," Dawn prepared herself.

"Once I had escaped, I submitted to the guards and they threw us back in the room. The other two, Petunia Figg and Lightning Barlow, decided to talk to me. We planned our escape. Since they had seen my flying, they suggested I should be the diversion. It took some coercing, but I finally agreed."

"Petunia Figg… I saw that name in the obituaries of the newspaper."

"I know…" Dawn's expression darkened, "Anyways, we put our plan into action. When it was Petunia's execution hour, we walked into the Rainbow Room."

Spark shuddered when she heard 'Rainbow Room.'

"We were all handcuffed. They had clearly learned from your escape. However, our feet weren't restrained. When they called Petunia's name, I jumped on her. The guards were surprised by my act. They pulled me off, and that's when I retaliated. I kicked the guard in the chest and he fell back. The other guards drew their swords and spears. I'm well coordinated, as you may have guessed, so when they swung, I had them cut my chains. Dawn saw the real threat when that happened.

"He called the reinforcements. The large door went up slowly and guards filed in, battle ready. I took quite a beating. Lightning and I escaped, but Petunia didn't make it before they closed the large door. We tried to get her through, but…" Dawn's voice trailed off. She coughed.

"So that's that. You, Lightning and I are the only survivors who know the truth."

"Have you told your parents yet?" asked Spark.

"I only got home hours ago, but yes. My stupid parents don't believe me!" Dawn replied, frustrated.

"Same here," Spark said, "But get this! My mom _grounded _me!"

"How did you even get here, then?"

"Well, I'm technically not supposed to be here…" Spark answered, "I escaped through my window without my mom noticing."

"Just like in the Rainbow Factory?" Dawn joked, trying to make a dark story into a light-hearted into jest.

"Yeah," laughed Spark weakly.

"What do you think we should do now?" asked Dawn, "We have to stop Dash's treachery!"

"We have to get more supporters," Spark said, "Two lone voices aren't going to stand out. Do you know where Lightning lives?"

"I suppose I could took it up," Dawn replied, "Why?"

"Since he was nearly killed, too, he would support us." explained Spark.

"Makes sense," said Dawn, reaching for a laptop,

"Let's see here… whoa! His house is _way_ too far to fly!" exclaimed Dawn.

"Let's just take a cab. That's how I got here," Spark said calmly, "Come on, we could find one easy in Airchester."

"Alright then," Dawn said. "Let's go!"

~O~

Spark and Dawn sat on a bench in Airchester and waited for a cab to pass.

One popped into sight.

"Taxi!" called Dawn, cupping her hands around her mouth. The taxi evidently heard her. It pulled over onto the curb. Spark and Dawn climbed into the taxi and Dawn paid the driver.

"32 Nimbus Boulevard," requested Dawn, "Could you take us there?"

"Of course," replied the deep and somehow dark voice of the taxi driver.

After fifteen minutes, the cab driver looked back at his passengers to reveal Dash's face.

"Good bye, ladies." Dash opened his door. He jumped out, but not before swerving off of the road. The car began plummeting downwards through the air. As the velocity increased, the altitude decreased further and further.

The car twisted and tumbled. Spark was being thrown from wall to wall. She heard the screams of Dawn, the roaring of the wind and the laughs of Dash watching them fall down. There was a crash, an explosion, and Spark's vision went completely black.


	3. Recuperation

Chapter 3

Recuperation

Spark awoke in a cold sweat in the smoldering ruins of the cab. Her hands burned in agony and all of the orifices on her face were filled with ash and soot.

"Dawn?" Spark croaked in despair. The remains of the broken car were still burning from the explosion caused by the impact. Spark crawled around in the remnants of the crash in search of any sign of Dawn. How long Spark had been lying there, she did not know, but hopefully Dawn hadn't abandoned her –

"Dawn!" Spark called again. She pulled herself upwards, but fell down again as her legs gave way. In the distance, Spark could faintly see a girl with black hair lying in the dust, but she wasn't sure how far she was because of the thick, black smoke.

As Spark approached the hopefully alive body, she could tell that it was Dawn.

"Dawn?" Spark coughed weakly, nudging her, "Come on, you're okay… right?"

Dawn didn't move.

"Get up, Dawn," Spark said, tears welling in her eyes, "Come on, get up! I can't take down Dash alone!"

Dawn coughed a dust cloud.

"Come on," Spark repeated, "Let's go, Dawn."

Spark tried to stand again. Her legs screamed in protest, but she held on. Knowing she wouldn't be able to carry Dawn, she grabbed under her arms and began dragging her across the ground.

Spark heard a car zoom by.

"We're near a road," Spark said to herself encouragingly. More cars sped past.

"A highway…"

Unfortunately, it wasn't a highway. It was, however, a street road. Spark wasn't entirely sure where she and Dawn were, but she knew they weren't on clouds anymore. Spark believed that shouldn't die, couldn't die… not yet.

Unable to take any more burdens, Spark dropped Dawn and fell backwards onto a green surface of blades that she had never seen before and closed her eyes.

~O~

Spark came to lying in a hospital cot with a lurking feeling of dread.

"Where… where am I?" A woman dressed in white rushed in to her aide.

"You're awake!"

"Where am I?" Spark asked again.

"You're in the Manchester Hospital…" replied the woman, "Do you remember anything? That was a quite a scene."

"I remember plenty," said Spark, sitting up, "When you said Manchester, did you mean Airchester?"

"No, I certainly meant Manchester," answered the nurse, "What is Airchester?"

"Where are your wings?" Spark asked.

"Wings?" asked the white-clad woman, "Miss, are you okay?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Spark, "Where's Dawn?"

"Well, seeing as it's broad daylight, it's been hours since Dawn passed."

Spark's heart nearly stopped, until she remembered they didn't know Dawn's name.

"The other girl who was with me! Her name was Dawn." explained Spark.

"She's fine, she's in the other room," the woman explained, "I'm your nurse, my name is Nurse Rose."

"Okay, thanks." Spark looked down at the floor, which she noticed was definitely _not _made of clouds. She extended her arm down to touch it to feet cold, hard steel.

Her eyes went wide with shock.

"Am I still in the Rainbow Factory? I've got to get out of here!" cried Spark in panic.

"Rainbow Factory?" asked Nurse Rose, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing…" Perhaps there were other iron factories above the clouds, potentially less murderous ones.

"Where are your wings?" Spark asked again.

"I don't have any… miss, are you delirious?"

"No… are you a groundy?"

"I'm a human. Aren't you?"

"Well, yeah… but I'm a flier. I live in the clouds." explained Spark.

"Really? You're a real flier? Those are just myths." insisted Nurse Rose.

"They're not myths, I'm one myself." responded Spark.

"Well, what are you doing on the ground, then?" persisted the nurse.

"Uh…" Spark decided not to tell her about the Rainbow Factory to avoid being ridiculed, "Our taxi driver accidentally swerved off the road. He tried to save Dawn and I as he escaped, but we told him to go."

"Oh, how terrible!" exclaimed Nurse Rose.

"So now I'm on the ground… are my wings okay?" asked Spark.

"Your wings must have been tucked into your shirt," the nurse told her, "so we didn't notice them and have yet to inspect them."

"Okay, can you examine them soon?" questioned Spark.

"I'll see what I can do. Do you want to talk to your 'Dawn' friend?"

"Sure!"

Nurse Rose wheel Dawn's cot next to Spark's and then left, hopefully to ask about their wing inspections.

"You asleep, Dawn?"

"No. Are you?" responded Dawn's croaking voice.

"How could I ask you if you were asleep if I was?" laughed Spark.

"I don't know," Dawn laughed back, "How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better, that's for sure," Spark said, "We need wing inspections before we can get out of here. We should be going home in a few hours."

"Well, it could have been worse. When are we getting wing inspections?" asked Dawn.

"I don't know, I just –"

"Are you ready for your wing inspections?" A nurse appeared in the doorway.

"Of course!" exclaimed Spark. She turned to DAWN.

"Do you want to go first?

"Sure." replied Dawn.

~O~

Two nurses accompanied Dawn as they walked into the room with Spark in it. Dawn had a slight limp.

"Just an ankle cramp," a nurse responded to Spark's concerned face, "Come take your wing exam, won't you?"

"I'll wait in the lobby," Dawn assured Spark.

"Okay then…"

Once Spark entered the waiting room, it didn't take long for her to be called in for her examination.

The doctor laid her down on the white table and began to observe her wings.

Spark's right wing felt fine. But as the doctor touched her left wing's base, she experienced shooting pain.

"Ouch! Stop!" Spark pleaded.

"Oh, no," the doctor said to himself, "This is not good.." He paced up and down the room.

"What is it?" asked Spark, who was still lying on the bed.

"You…" the doctor hesitated, "Your left wing is broken."

"What?" cried Spark in horror, "There must be some sort of mistake! My wing can be… broken! It's probably just sore or something! How am I supposed to get home?"

"There's not mistake," the doctor said, positive, "It will only take two months to heal, though."

"Two months?"

"Yes, two months." repeated the doctor.

"I won't be able to fly for two months?" croaked Spark, her voice caught in her throat.

"Well, I suppose that I've got some things I can shorten it with…" offered the doctor, opening a cabinet an withdrawing medical steroids.

"Yes, please," Spark begged, "Anything to get me back in the air again."

"Alright. If you use these, it'll only take about a month to heal."

"Awesome."

~O~

"How did it go?" asked Dawn as she and Spark walked out of the Manchester Hospital together.

"Well, turns out I –"

"Wait!" The automatic sliding doors opened and the doctor ran out, "You mustn't tell anyone about your wings!"

"Why?" asked Spark.

"People of our type don't know about the fliers. Only a select few, and they're not allowed to tell. If people were to find out about this, you'd be known as freaks; mutants. They would call the government officials liars. All in all, it would end poorly for both worlds."

"Okay, then," Dawn said, "If you say so! Bye, now!" Dawn and Spark then turned away and walked out onto the sidewalk.

"Why is he even implying we'd be staying here?" wondered Dawn aloud.

"About that…" Spark started slowly, "I broke my wing."

"That's horrible!" exclaimed Dawn. "I don't think I can fly and carry you at the same time, either! How are you going to get home?"

"How am _I _getting home?" asked Spark, "Are you going to leave me?"

"Of course not!" retorted Dawn defensively, "How long will it take to heal?"

"About a month," Spark answered, "So we ought to get used to groundy life. Let's start with the weird green blades everywhere!"

"They're not really everywhere, it's kind of a city…" Spark corrected her.

"Shut up."

"I don't really know what they are, but maybe it's called grass."

"What makes you say that?"

Spark pointed to a sign that read in red letters,

_PLEASE KEEP OFF OF THE GRASS._

"Oh."


	4. Reconnaissance

**Chapter 4**

**Reconnaissance**

_Author's Note: I've finally finished writing this trilogy on paper, and now I need to type it. Expect more chapters soon. _

By the end of the day, Spark and Dawn were familiar with the simplest groundy terms, though they had received some suspicious looks from strangers.

"Brick, tile, fabric, rock, wood –" Spark ran through the new substances in her head. She looked to Dawn.

"What was the other one…? The one people who water in?"

"Uh, it was a… plastic. Plastic!" replied Dawn, "Where are we going to sleep tonight?" she asked. The thought had not occurred to Spark.

"Let's just hope they have hotels in the groundy world."

When they found an inn, they were unable to afford a good room, so there was only one bed.

"We'll take sifts," Spark decided, "I'll sleep on the floor tonight and we'll change each night."

"Fair enough."

~O~

"What're we going to do for a month?" asked Dawn as she and Spark wandered the streets the next day.

"Hopefully, we could raise up a rebellion to fight for our cause." proposed Spark.

"And how do you plan to do that without revealing we have wings?" Dawn pointed out, "Besides, groundies can't stand on clouds, remember?"

Spark stopped.

"I really ought to think before I speak, hm?"

"Yeah…"

As they continue walking along the weird, black covered road, Spark devised a plan.

"Well, we could always say the Rainbow Facility is something else on the ground, replace Dash with some other sports star – if they even have sports – and then, when the day comes that we try to rise against Dash, we have the groundies fly those weird machines!" exclaimed Spark. Dawn continued to walk with Spark, silent.

"That would be unbelievably hard… but it's worth a shot, I suppose."

"We've got to help people out then," Spark said, "They may join our cause because they're in our debt! Do you think Manchester has a high crime rate?"

"I don't know, let's ask someone. Hey, you!" called Dawn, as she pulled a man dressed in black over to her ask he walked by.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry, sir, but we just… moved here, me and my friend, could you tell me if the crime rate is high?"

"You kiddin' me?" the man raved, "Of course not! Barely anything ever happens here!"

"So I take it that it's pretty low, then?" asked Dawn, making sure that this was low for a groundy city.

"Yeah, but watch where you walk." The man tugged his arm away from Dawn indignantly and began striding down the street again.

"Okay, so where should we start?" asked Spark.

"Maybe we should just hang around dark alleyways," suggested Dawn, "That's where all of the crimes happen in my books about groundies!"

"That'll look pretty shady," Spark pointed out, "Maybe we should just –"

_CRACK._

"Oomph!" There were beating sounds.

"Someone help me!" Spark and Dawn were suddenly thrown off of the pavement onto the ground. Dawn rolled to the road, but quickly got up and ran to Spark, helping her off the sidewalk.

"Somebody please stop that man!" The person who had pushed the two girls aside was running down the street, clad in dark black clothes. Dawn was running after him, but he was on his way up their hotel's fire escape. Dawn turned her head to Spark.

"You stay down! I've got a plan!" she yelled, running to the back of the building. The road that they were on began clearing out, the people all panicking and frightened.

The thief had dropped the wallet and fell to his knees on the top of the building. It was clear that the mugging victim had fought back against him.

He recovered his strength and stood up, withdrawing a gun.

"Stay… stay away from me!" He took aim at Spark, who was running down the street to the front of the building. Spark shut her eyes and dove as she saw his trigger finger move.

Dawn appeared from nowhere and grabbed the thief, jumping down from the two-story building. She extended her wings and flew across the street, the confused mugger held by his shoulders. Dawn let go of him as they were five feet over the ground and the man went flying forwards. His front smashed into the brick wall and he fell down onto his back. Bits of bricks struck Spark's head, most likely from the shot the burglar had fired. Spark hustled across the street to Dawn, who was staring at the unconscious man.

"Way to blow our cover," Spark said.

"Well, I couldn't just let you get shot!" insisted Dawn.

"Thanks."

Dawn moved the man's head to reveal his face.

"Figures," Spark told her, "The guy we ask about the crime rate in this city just so happens to be a burglar." Dawn picked up the wallet that he had stolen and walked across the street with Spark. They found the victim lying on the ground, clutching his ankle with his mouth agape.

"You… you just… wings…" he gasped.

"You sure did put up a fight for just eight bucks…" Dawn said, peering in his wallet.

"Yeah, I just didn't want him to get the three hundred in my shoe. How can I repay you… you… mutants?" asked the man.

"You'll tell nobody of this," Spark said, before Dawn could answer. Luckily for them, nobody use had been on the street to see them.

"Okay, I swear it!" the man said, getting up.

"Thank you, again!" And with that, he limped down the street, out of sight.

~O~

"Really?" asked Dawn, displeased, "He could've joined our cause, but you just sent him away!"

"We have to make sure they don't know we have wings!" Spark said, "Otherwise, they may tell somebody! We've got to help people without exposing our wings."

"I still just can't believe you sometimes…" Dawn grunted.

~O~

The two girls spent the rest of the day bickering without accomplishing anything else to help themselves.

"You're sleeping on the floor tonight." Spark said in response to Dawn climbing into the one bed in their apartment.

Dawn didn't respond.

"Come one!" exclaimed Spark, disappointed. She pushed Dawn over on to the floor. Spark climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Good night," Spark said spitefully, turning out the lights.

~O~

The next day, Spark was determined to solve their problems and come to an agreement.

"Dawn," she began, "I'm sorry for –"

"Don't be. Sorry for getting so mad at you," Dawn apologized, "I know you were just trying to do what you thought was right."

"I'm glad we've settled that, then," Spark said, "We're on the same side here. We can't have these rifts if we're to take down Dash. You with me?"

"Of course." agreed Dawn.

"Let's go, then," said Spark, stepping out of the room with Dawn.

As they walked out of their apartment building, they spotted a man walking down the street, concealing some sort of bundle underneath his arm. He shuffled into an alleyway.

"That seems suspicious enough," Spark whispered, "You follow him, I'll see if I can cut him off." Dawn nodded in concurrence and started after him. Spark followed suit, but continued past the alleyway until she reached the third one, which she assumed was connected to the other ones.

The person walking around the corner answered Spark's question, His brown-haired head was down.

"What's in the package?" asked Spark. The man bumped into her and looked up.

"Huh… what?"

"I said, what's in the package?" Spark repeated, kicking him in the shins. He dropped the box and papers fell pout.

"Oh, no! They've got me now!" he cried. Papers came tumbling down into the small puddles.

"Who did you steal these from" Dawn appeared and directed the question interrogatively, pushing him against the wall.

"What?"

"We know you're a thief," Spark continued, "Where did you get those?"

"I'm no thief!" asked the man.

"What are you, then?" asked Dawn, believing she had him cornered.

"I'm a pressman!" said the man, "Please don't kill me!"

"Kill you?" said Spark, confused, "Why would we kill you?"

"You… you're not one of them?"

"Them?" Dawn persisted, "Who's 'them?'"

The man looked around worriedly.

"Come… come with me."

Spark shot a glance at Dawn, as if to tell her to keep her guard up. Dawn returned the gaze in understanding.

The strange, worried man led them back through the alleyway, into a small building that appeared to be a rundown shack. The lights turned on as the three stepped in.

The shack was very untidy, filled with broken toys, slabs of stones and random boards that had no correlation to each other. There was a smell of mold and rotting food. The walls were fading shades of brown, and the paint was slowly chipping off of the wall.

"Please, sit down," said the peculiar pressman.

"Uh…" Spark looked around, "Where?"

"Over there." he gestured to a chair, which had mountains of litter upon it. Dawn found a similar chair.

"Okay…" Spark began, "What were you talking about? Who did you think we were, and why would anyone want to ki –"

"No questions," said the pressman, "Let me explain."

"Go on, then." Dawn persisted.

"My name is Peter –" he started again.

"Peter?" Spark laughed, "Weird name. You've got a last name, right?"

"Uh… of course. Peter Flat, and it's not a weird name!" Peter insisted, "What are yours, then?"

"Mine's Dawn," Dawn introduced herself. "Her name is Spark."

"Those are the weird names… but that's not the point!" Peter said sharply, "I'm a pressman. Lately, I've published some stories that the government haven't been so fond of…"

"Like what?" interjected Dawn.

"There's been some White House scandal they've been trying to keep quiet. They're also trying to pass a law in secret, too –" Peter explained.

"Yeah, we get the picture. What's your point?" asked Dawn.

"They've been trying to stomp out my newspaper company. Since they haven't been successful, they're to stomp out _me!_ My days are numbered!"

"They're sending assassins after you?" inquired Spark, "That's horrible!"

"I've been trying to keep myself concealed…" Peter said, "I've had to move, and I have to walk to work through the dark and damp alleyways…"

Spark contemplated whether or not to ask about a car. She decided against it, as she was sure the paranoid man had some good reason to walk.

"So your government seems pretty corrupt down h –" Dawn stopped herself from saying 'down here.'

"What was that?" asked Peter.

"Nothing…"

"I wish we could help…" Spark then realized the opportunity floating right in front of her face. _"Is _there anyway we could help?"

"I don't suppose…" Peter said worriedly, "Unless, of course, you could somehow stop them.

"Believe me, stopping corruption is our business." Dawn said.

"What do you mean?"

"We've got experience," Spark said cryptically, "What would you have us do, then?"

"Alright, if you're willing to help, I'd better tell you the whole thing…" Peter began nervously, "The new mayor of Manchester is part of some sort of brotherhood. He's a cult leader, and he's making the lives of Manchester citizens miserable. I've published stories about it, and that's why I've got a large price on my head."

"Do you know what said organization is called?" Dawn questioned further.

"I think it's called…" Peter thought for a moment, "The Cult of Tyrus."

"Tyrus?" Spark wondered aloud, "Who's Tyrus?"

"He's a dead body they worship – look, I don't know, it's weird. He won office by a fluke. It was a rigged election."

"What's the mayor's name, then?"

"Mayor Hendrick. Alan Hendrick."

"You groundies – er, people – have pretty weird names." Spark remarked.

"Really? Where are you two from, if your names are so normal?" Peter asked defensively.

"We're from… uh… Europe." Dawn lied.

"Where in Europe?"

"Ireland."

"When did you move here?"

"A… a week or two ago." Spark stammered in reply.

"What happened to your accents, then?" Peter frowned. Dawn clenched her teeth and looked at Spark who stared back with a shaky face.

"Never mind, then," Dawn sighed, "There's no point in hiding this anymore…"

"No, wait!" cried Spark. But it was too late. Dawn had opened her wings already before Peter's eyes. His mouth dropped open.

"You… what are you?" asked Peter, frightened.

"We're fliers." Dawn replied calmly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Peter said, his voice escalating.

"Calm down," Spark said softly, "It means we live in the clouds, and we have wings. We're not really different from you groundies."

"Well, I didn't hesitate to tell you two my problems," Peter pointed out, "What are you doing down here with us… normal people?"

"It's a long story…" Spark whispered.

"We've got time."

Spark turned nervously to Dawn and mouthed, _'Everything? Including the Rainbow Facility?'_

Dawn nodded sourly.

"Alright, then, here we go…"

~O~

"…and here we are now." Spark finished.

"Well," Peter said, shocked, "We seem to be in similar predicaments, then."

"Dawn and I were hoping that if we helped you, you would return the favor and help us. The problem with this is that groundies like you can't stand on clouds, therefore you wouldn't be able to help much."

"Why, my dear, haven't you heard of an airplane?" Peter laughed.

"Are those the weird flying machines you guys have?" asked Spark.

"Yes, of course, and I run a newspaper. I could easily get the word of your plight out using the press." Peter explained.

"I hadn't even thought of that!" exclaimed Dawn.

"I could do all of this for you. But you've got to help me, first," Peter said.

"Deal," Spark said surely, "What is it that you want us to do?"

"This will sound dark, I know," Peter lowered his voice to a dull whisper, "But I think you have to kill Mayor Hendrick."

"It's not that dark," Spark said, "Killing a corrupted cult leader isn't nearly as gruesome as slaughtering teens for no logical reason."

"So you'll do it, then?" Peter asked hopefully.

"Yes." Dawn confirmed.

~O~

The two fliers and the pressman spent a few hours discussing a plan and mapping out the town hall for the best route to assassinate Hendrick.

"Alright," Dawn said, "So we've got the plan down. In essence, we're just going to try and climb up of the side of the building using the appendages we can take out the guards from above, distracting them using smoke bombs. Alright?"

Peter nodded.

"Okay. Once we're in, I'll fly up to the catwalks and… wait, when do you suppose we'll be performing the break in, Peter?"

"I guess… next week." answered Peter unsurely.

"Alright. Do we have any weapons?" asked Spark.

"We've got a couple of smoke bombs, and…" Peter reached into his pocket and withdrew a pen and a checkbook. He scribbled furiously upon it before ripping it out and slapping it into Dawn's hand.

"Wow!" she exclaimed gleefully, "A thousand bucks?"

"Go nuts," Peter said, smiling, "Just don't spend it all in once place. Unless, of course, it's a weapon store." They all chuckled.

"Anyways, back to the plan. Once I fly to the catwalk, I'll grab Spark by the feet…"

~O~

Later, once Peter had dismissed the two fliers, they made their way over to a weapon store.

"I don't really want to kill anyone… is that just me?" Spark whispered in Dawn's ear.

"I feel the same way…" Dawn replied quietly, "I think we'll be safe with some knives, tranquilizers and… I guess if worse comes to worst, we should take silenced pistol, but only for emergencies… and to get Hendrick himself."

"Alright, then, if you say so."


	5. Regicidal

**Chapter 5**

**Regicidal**

After a week of plotting and planning, the day of vocation had come. Spark woke that morning with sirens ringing in her ears. She looked up to her left at Dawn, who was showing a panicked expression similar to hers.

"Are we in trouble?" Spark asked.

"I don't know…" Dawn replied nervously, "Did someone overhear us in the shack yesterday?"

"Run!" Spark pulled herself up from the floor and grabbed Dawn. She led her to the fire escape door.

"Let's go!" cried Spark. She shoved the door open and nearly plummeted over the edge of the balcony. Footsteps sounded through their room.

"Jump!"

"Aim for the bushes!" Spark tried to stay quiet enough to be only heard to Dawn. She threw herself over the balcony; shutting her eyes and flipping so she would land back first. Dawn did the same.

"They're not here anymore," came the deep voice of a policeman, "Scout the place out. Look for clues." The man's voice terribly reminded Spark of Dash's voice. It was then that Spark remembered something crucial to Dawn and Spark's fight against Dash.

Dash most likely believed that Dawn and Spark were dead. Spark felt slightly more comfortable as she recognized her advantage. She could still hear the policeman giving orders.

After some fifteen minutes, they were gone, though it felt like hours had passed. Dawn and Spark emerged from the bushes.

"Did you hide our stuff?" Spark asked. Dawn nodded slowly.

"Alright, good," Spark said, sighing with relief, "That was way too close!"

"Tell me about it," Dawn said, "How did the police know where we were?"

"Better yet, why were they after us?" Spark added.

"Maybe someone tailed us after we found Peter and they've been eavesdropping on our plan." Dawn suggested, brushing pollen off of her clothes.

"Or maybe Peter's a traitor." Spark said darkly.

"No way!" protested Dawn, "Peter's trying to help us, remember?"

"Or maybe Peter's a bad guy, and he's trying to have us kill the innocent mayor." Spark continued.

"How could you say such a thing? Peter's our friend!" insisted Dawn, with an appalled expression on her face.

"I'm not saying I know or think that," Spark answered, "But it's completely possible."

"Well, that's a scary way to think about it," Dawn said, shuddering. They walked up the fire escape and went back into their apartment. Dawn idly glanced at the trash bin.

"Was that paper there before?" Dawn asked.

"I don't think so… why?" Spark replied carelessly. Dawn reached for the paper and opened it. Her eyes widened.

"What is it?" Spark inquired. Dawn motioned for Spark to come over to her.

"Look," Dawn whispered.

_WAIT FOR THEM UNDER THE BED. _

Spark looked nervously at Dawn. She mouthed, _'Where'd you put the tranquilizers?'_ Dawn gestured to the head of the bed. They tiptoed across the room and opened up a compartment in the bed, revealing the loaded tranquilizers. They climbed onto the bed, weapons at the ready.

"You first." Dawn was barely audible, even to Spark. Spark nodded. She slowly leaned over the bed, aiming her tranquilizer. There was a small whizzing sound as Spark fired, and a small grunt followed.

"Bug." There was a faint whisper, and a clasping sound.

"Hm?" came another voice. Snoring filled the room.

"Scott, are you asleep?" There were scuffling sounds.

"You're going to blow our cov –" the policeman's cry was cut short by the impact of Dawn's dart into his neck.

"That was close," Spark whispered.

"You don't say?" Dawn said sarcastically, "Luckily, they'll be out cold for a while. I think we can make a use out of these guys, though."

"What do you mean?"

~O~

"I never thought I'd be the one doing this sort of thing." Spark said, walking out of the bathroom dressed as a police officer.

"Well, think again." said Dawn, who was dressed similarly.

"So, today's the day." Spark declared shakily.

"Yeah. With any luck, by the end of the day, we'll have earned the support of the groundies."

"Awesome. This suit is so baggy on me." Spark complained, pulling up her sleeves, "When are we supposed to be meeting Peter at the shack, again?"

"Uh… eight o'clock." Dawn readjusted her sleeve to check her watch. She looked up to Spark in horror.

"We're already half an hour late!" Dawn cried, "Let's go!"

"We're terrible at time management," Spark said, shutting the door as they ran out of the hallway to Peter's shack.

~O~

"Peter?" Spark called as she opened the door. "We're here."

"Are you in here?" Dawn entered behind her and they saw the lights were much more dim than usual. Dawn closed the door. The duo crept around the shed in search of any signs of Peter's whereabouts.

Suddenly, Spark caught something in the corner of her eye. There was a small, cushioned chair in the far section of the room, just by the wall. Spark tapped Dawn on the shoulder and gestured to the seat, which had two arms resting on either side. Dawn nodded. They quickly walked over to whom they believed to be Peter, but continued to advance silently. Perhaps he had fallen asleep waiting. They walked around opposite sides of the chair to see if Peter was really there.

As soon as they stepped to the sides, a man leapt out of the chair and tackled Spark to the ground.

"Ah!" She heard a knife unsheathe, and she prayed it was Dawn's…

Spark quickly shifted her strength from her chest to her legs and she kicked her attacker off of her. He recoiled back and landed hard. Spark dove onto the man and began to assault him with a flurry of punches to the chest and face. The suspicious character swung at Spark wildly with his knife, scraping her ear and cutting off strands of her orange hair. She delivered a blow to his arm, causing him to drop his weapon in shock. Spark finally gave a finishing crack to his head, knocking him unconscious with a loud grunt. The room was shrouded in silence. Where was Dawn?

"Where is this stupid light switch?" cried Dawn, seemingly in reply to Spark's thought.

There was a muffled groan from above.

"What was that?" asked Spark. The same sound echoed off of the walls again.

"Up…" Dawn tried to make words out of the senseless gibberish.

"Again… against? Lures… no, not lure, left. Wall!" she exclaimed. Dawn walked across the floor and ran her fingers across the wall until she found a switch, which brightened the lights. Spark rubbed her eyes quickly, trying to adjust her vision to the intensity.

As they examined the room, they found that the attacker who had attempted to kill Spark was also a police officer. She stomped on his face, breaking his nose.

"If the police were already here, they must've taken Peter!" said a distraught Dawn.

"Oh, no…" responded Spark in an undertone, "Who do you think just told us where the light switch was, then?" As she said this, Dawn and Spark slowly looked up to the ceiling from where the voice had been emanating. There, duct-taped to the ceiling, resided Peter.

"You need some help up there?" laughed Dawn.

"I'll get one of those stick things groundies use to get to high places…" Spark said, rummaging through the junk-filled shed.

"I've got wings, it's alright." Dawn said as she opened her wings and flew to the ceiling, untangling the mess Peter was in. Spark watched Dawn struggle, and then eventually remove all of the restraints. Peter began to fall, and Spark attempted to move to the side, but Peter flattened her on the cold iron floor. It gave Spark terrible memories of the Rainbow Facility.

"Sorry," Peter apologized, helping Spark up, "By the way, 'ladders.' They're called ladders."

"It's alright," Spark said, ignoring the second part.

"Sorry for not trying to warn you guys, too," Peter continued, " I thought you two were policemen."

"So, our disguises seem to work." said Dawn happily as she fluttered to the ground.

"How did you get those costumes, anyway?" asked Peter.

"It's a long story," replied Spark, "Let's just say we've all had authority encounters this morning. But that's not important. We need to get into Town Hall, as we're already late. Peter, slip on that officer's clothes and we'll get this infiltration underway."

~O~

Dawn, Spark and Peter were next to the Town Hall, readying themselves.

"I've gotten you two guys knives: They're easily concealed, as they can stay under your wrists. Alright?" explained Peter.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Spark, slipping on the brass gauntlet.

"These are pretty heavy," Dawn said, mimicking Spark's action.

"But I bet they pack a much heavier punch!"

"Indeed they do," Peter agreed, "Now, we've got to get up to the roof, and there's no ladders. What do we do?"

"Dawn's really good at maneuvering and climbing," suggested Spark.

"Okay, let's get started then." Dawn cracked her knuckles and run up the red brick wall, barely grabbing a pipe before falling back down.

"Why do you just use your… wings?" asked Peter, still uncomfortable with their extra appendages.

"So that we're sure that it's possible for you and Spark." She climbed right, along the pipe.

"Let's do this" Spark leapt up the wall and extended her arm, only to be cut short by gravity. She fell back, but luckily, Peter caught her.

"Thanks," said Spark gratefully.

"No problem."

"As I was saying, let's do –"

"What're you two slowpokes doing way down there, still?" called Dawn, who was nearing the rooftop.

"Sorry, coming right up!" Spark replied. She ran up the wall again, but fell before reaching the pipe once more. Peter, however, had foreseen this, and gave Spark a leg up.

"Thanks, again!"

"No problem, again." Peter followed Spark as she tried to pursue Dawn to the top of the building. Spark spring boarded off of a radiator and grabbed a flagpole sticking out of the building side.

"Hurry up, already!" Dawn cried impatiently as she pulled herself up onto the building.

"We're coming, we're coming," Spark muttered. She swung across the flagpole and landed on a balcony. She instantly ran up the wall and grabbed a pipe similarly shaped to the one at the bottom of the Town Hall. Peter followed nimbly in her footsteps.

Suddenly, the white balcony's rim crumbled as Peter jumped onto it. His hands flew up in the air in desperation. Spark realized this and flung her arm out in his aid. Her left hand barely found his, and she was holding the wall with her other hand. Peter's hand began to slip away and Spark's arm felt as if it was going to pop out of its socket.

Then the pipe broke.

Spark was winded as her chest collided with the stone white balcony. Her arm slammed into the edge and Peter fell from her grip.

"No!" Spark thrust her hand down further and grabbed Peter's arm again. Her hand ached horribly as her wrist help up Peter while he tried to grasp some accessory of the building. Spark turned her head up and called for assistance.

"Could use a bit of help down here!" Dawn sighed as she dove off the side of the building, swooping down and collecting Peter. Spark was relieved as the weight vanished. Dawn used her momentum to swerve up and bring Peter to the top of the building.

"You gonna be alright, Spark?"

"I'll be fine," Spark replied as she pulled herself to her feet.

_CLICK. _The handle on the balcony's door turned. Spark flinched and ran up the wall to the semi broken pipe and hung on in fear of being discovered. A man stepped out onto the balcony and Spark's heart skipped a beat. He stared out over the platform.

"Hm."

There was a faint _psst._ Spark looked up and saw Peter hanging upside down with his hands out. Spark clutched his hands and he pulled up with all of his might, Dawn helping at the roof.

"I'm good, I'm good," Spark whispered as quietly as she could, knowing the man was still taking surveillance from the balcony.

"Okay," Peter whispered back, slowly letting go of Spark's hands so she could grab the rim of the building.

Her feet skidded loudly against the brick wall.

Time seemed to slow as Spark rushed up onto the roof and heard the guard call,

"Hey!" There were scrabbling and climbing noises.

"Run!" The trio sprinted across the rooftop and found themselves at the edge.

"Jump to the next building!" Dawn cried.

The guard ran atop the building towards them.

"Go!" Peter had already jumped up to the slightly taller building. Spark was the last one to jump.

As she was pulling herself up, the security man leapt up and grabbed her leg.

"Get – off!" Her fingers began to slip. Dawn ran to help her, and grabbed Spark's arms.

"Don't… let… go!" grunted Dawn, struggling with Spark and the guards' combined weight.

"Trust me, I won't!" Spark kicked backwards and slammed the guard into the Town Hall. His back seized up and he released Spark's foot. He cried out and swung his arms as he fell from the three-story building and landed with a sickening _crack._ Spark finally managed to get up to the building adjacent to the Manchester Town Hall.

"That was close," puffed Spark.

"Yeah," panted Peter, who was sweating profusely, "I can see why you'd want to fly so much. It's really quite exciting!" Peter told Dawn.

"Mhmm," Dawn said, "I guess that kind of wears off after awhile." They all sat down for a few moments of cool down time, then they jumped down to Town Hall.

"Alright," Dawn said, "The plan is in order. Peter, you've got the smoke bombs ready, right?"

"Of course," Peter responded, withdrawing a bronze sphere from his jacket pocket.

"Impact shell?"

"If you're asking if it'll work, it's one hundred percent fail safe." Peter answered.

"Let's do this, then." Spark said. The three infiltrators stuck stakes into the Town Hall firmly. Afterwards, they tied ropes around each of their own respectively, and knotted them so they would stay under pressure. As they tied, the ropes around their chests, they leaned over the building to check for the guards. As they had guessed, they still resided in the same spot, standing as still as statues, their hands crossed over their chests. Spark wouldn't be surprised if they were just weaponless, and they were meant to intimidate.

"Ready?" whispered Dawn. Spark and Peter nodded in unison.

"Go." The trio turned around and jumped down, landing against the walls. They held their ropes tightly for support. Peter bobbed his head to Dawn. In response, Dawn and Spark continued to rappel down the building until they were but three feet above the guarded doorway into the Town Hall. Dawn looked up to Peter intently and gave him a thumbs up.

Peter threw the bomb.

There was a shattering noise and smoke filled the street.

"What the –?" The guards were taken aback, just as the infiltrators had predicted. Spark and Dawn cut their ropes with their wristblades and fell onto the shocked guards, beating them into submission and tranquilizing them, still concealed by the smoke. Peter rappelled down to join them. Dawn and Spark searched the guards for anything of value. They found a set of keys, some cash and their ID's.

"Alright," Spark said, "Act natural. Remember, we're policemen. We're supposed to be here. But let's try to avoid any encounters regardless."

"Fair enough." agreed Dawn.

"Okay, Operation Hendrick is a go." Peter declared.

With these words, they opened the set of double doors and walked into the Town Hall, knowing fully well that without disguises, they would be recognized as criminals.


	6. Redamaged

**Chapter 6**

**Redamaged**

As they made their way around the complex Town Hall of Manchester, they tried to disguise themselves even further as recognized officials. They rarely talked, and when they did, they had Peter speak for them. Spark even held her breath regularly, so people didn't suspect she was 'breathing weirdly.'

Eventually, they found themselves in the very back of the building.

"You know, for the grand design of this place's front, you'd they would have at least given _some _attention to the storage room…" Dawn said once they arrived. It was no understatement.

The storage room was dark, dank and damp. Occasionally, one could even hear splashes of puddles when they strolled through it. It had no form of lighting other than a select few dim lights coming from small lamps. The room was, however, very large, and riddled with crates. Spark guessed that it could fit two averagely sized planes. It was extremely cold, which wasn't good for Dawn, who was going to be flying through the air momentarily.

"Yeah, no kidding," responded Spark, "Anyways, where is the said 'catwalk?'"

"It's across the room," replied Peter.

"Oh, no," Dawn complained, "That's going to take _forever…_"

~O~

Halfway through their trek across the storage room, there was a sound of an opening door, which echoed off the walls.

"Hide!" whispered Spark urgently. They all ran into the center of the room and chose different hiding spots. Peter hid under a rotting wooden desk, Dawn found a spot in an empty barrel, while Spark climbed into one of the many crates. Curiosity overcame Spark, though, so she peeked above the crate in search of the officers patrolling the room.

She spotted the two walking against a wall, wielding flashlights and pistols. Spark decided to try her luck. She slowly drew her tranquilizer. Her hands swayed slightly as she aimed for the guard in the back. Without thinking, she fired.

Spark didn't check to se if her shot had hit; there would be time for that later, but the time to reload her dart was now.

As she looked up to the small patrol, she noticed the man in the back was walking slower than before. Spark decided it wasn't a mere coincidence when he fell to the floor. The other guard heard the thud and turned to investigate the noise. That was when Spark decided to take her second shot. Unfortunately, this shot was not so accurate. The dart whizzed past his head and landed in the wall. Spark winced. The guard looked up and saw the dart, and began to examine its trajectory. Spark searched frantically for more darts to reload her tranquilizer. Her hands scrambled in the dark desperately. The guard began walking quickly, stepping heavily. He had clearly spotted Spark at this point. She began to panic as she noticed he was but six feet from her crate. She ducked down and prayed. He stuck his head into the box and Spark found herself looking down the barrel of a pistol.

_WHIZ._ A dart appeared in the neck of her attacker. He fell to the ground, clutching his throat. Spark sat up see Dawn, who had her head out of the barrel and was holding her tranquilizer.

"Thanks," Spark said breathlessly.

"No problem," responded Dawn, "Just try not to attract so much attention."

"Sorry…" The trio climbed and crawled out of their hiding spots and hid the policemen in the mass of the storage room.

"Well, let's continue along our merry way, then," Peter said sarcastically.

~O~

"Is this the catwalk we're looking for?" asked Spark, looking up once they had finally reached the other side.

"Uh… I think so!" replied Peter. He turned to Dawn, saying,

"If you will?" Dawn nodded enthusiastically and shot up with her wings, grabbing the catwalk. She quickly positioned her feet around bars so she wouldn't fall. Dawn started to bend downwards, extending her hands to get Peter.

Peter grabbed her hands, and Dawn used all of the strength in her chest that she could, and Peter tried to help by walking his feet up the wall. Finally, Peter's hand could reach the edge of the catwalk. He pulled himself up onto the cold, metal walkway, where he met with Dawn, who was bent over with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

"If you guys are tired, I can wait!" called Spark, who was still beneath the catwalk.

"A break would be nice," Dawn panted admittedly, though it was difficult to hear her.

"Okay, I can wait!"

~O~

Some five minutes later, Dawn was ready. Spark felt bad to put so much pressure on her, but it was necessary if they were to stop Dash in the long run.

Peter leaned forwards over the edge of the catwalk and reached for Spark. Dawn grabbed Peter's feet and prepared to pull.

"Now!" Spark grabbed Peter's ands and she felt her feet leave the floor as Dawn and Peter pulled her up.

"I'm good," Spark said when the walkway was in her group. Peter moved back with Dawn and Spark climbed up to join them.

"Alright, where do we go next?" asked Spark.

"This catwalk gives us access to a hallway that leads to the mayor's office," answered Peter.

"Okay, which doorway is it, then?" questioned Dawn, almost impatiently.

"I think it's the first one," Spark said, looking at the map over Peter's shoulder, "Let's go." She opened the door and held it for her friends. They entered a very bright, beige hallway with two paths.

"Do we go around the corner, or –?"

"Yeah we do." Spark led the line, feeling she needed to make up for the work her friends had been doing at their own expenses.

As soon as they made their way around the corner, she bumped into a guard. Instinctively, her hand flew up and she activated her wristblade, stabbing him in the chest. The man looked at his wound in shock, then fell to the floor. His eyes glazed over, and red began to stain his suit. Peter walked ahead and opened a door. He peered in, the gestured for Spark to hide the body.

"It's the best we could do," Peter said, "But it won't last long before someone finds him. We have to move quickly." Spark was still a bit appalled by her murderous reflex. She had killed two men in a single day… so far…

Spark, Peter and Dawn were borderline jogging to Mayor Hendrick's office. They passed a couple of guards, who were going the way from which the trio had come.

"Are we almost there?" Dawn whispered.

"Just down this hallway." promised Peter. They reached the door, which had a gold plaque reading,

_**MAYOR HENDRICK'S OFFICE**_

"Ready?" asked Peter, his hand on the doorknob. Dawn and Spark adjusted their pistols for quick withdrawal.

"Go." Peter turned the knob.

It was locked.

"Oh, no," Dawn said, disappointed, "Why didn't we expect this?"

"It's alright," Spark stepped forward and extracted the key set they had procured from the guards outside.

The door opened while she tried to use a key, and Mayor Hendrick stepped into sight. He looked at Spark's key in the lock.

"Um… hello."

"Sorry," coughed Peter, "Important security detail, we had to inform you immediately –"

"Oh, I understand, of course," Hendrick interrupted. He gestured for Peter, Dawn and Spark to come into his office, closing the door behind them.

"Okay, what is it?" asked Hendrick, as he adjusted his suit jacket.

"Well –" started Peter.

"Wait, first, your names." Hendrick cut in.

"I'm Officer Meryls."

"You, young lady?" Hendrick turned to Dawn.

"I'm, uh," Dawn struggled to come up with a fake last name, "I'm Officer Helm." she lied.

"I'm…" Spark could remember the name of the officer she had assumed the identity of, it was on the tip of her tongue…

"Officer Peterson."

"Well, that just about confirms it then," Hendrick said to himself, turning away to the large glass windows.

"What do you mean?" asked Peter, "Sir." He added afterwards.

"I think you know quite well what I mean, Mr. Flat." answered Hendrick.

"Sir, he's just told you his name was Officer Mer –" objected Spark.

"I know very well what he said his name was, Ms. Taller. I'm particularly interested in you." Spark bit her lip as Hendrick referred to her by her real last name. How had he known…? Hendrick pulled chairs over.

"Please, sit down."

"Tell us why we shouldn't kill you right now." Dawn spat.

"I'll have you know that I've positioned snipers on the buildings across the street, and they're aiming at you right now." explained Hendrick, crossing his arms, "Now sit, before you do something rash and get your little gang here killed!" Dawn looked to Spark, who nodded. Peter had already begun to sit. Dawn and Spark followed suit.

"So, how did you know it was us?" asked Spark.

"I heard from a little bird," replied Hendrick nonchalantly, "But I'll ask the questions, if you don't mind."

"Maybe we _do _mind!" Dawn said aggressively, sitting up in her chair.

"Well, maybe _you'll _the first of your friends to go! Now sit down, and shut up!" Hendrick retorted. Dawn sat back and looked as if she were shooting daggers from her eyes.

"Why are you three after me?" asked Hendrick.

"Don't pretend you don't know," Peter answered sharply, "You're a cult leader who's revoked the freedoms of Manchester citizens!"

"Am I?" asked Hendrick, "That's good to know. Why have you of all people come to kill me, again?"

"Because you're not happy with what he's publishing!" Spark put in, "You've been trying to assassinate him for the truths he's been publishing! This is practically self-defense."

"I am?" Hendrick said. Peter gave Hendrick a strange look.

"Why do you keep responding with confusion?" asked Peter.

"No reason, no reason," Hendrick said.

"If you don't mind my asking, how did you know who me and Spark were?" Dawn inquired through clenched teeth.

"As I said before, I heard from a little bird… person. Some strange winged fellow." replied Hendrick rather politely.

"A flier?" asked Spark, "What did he look like?"

"Oh, brown hair, green eyes… looked athletic." Spark turned to Dawn and whispered,

"Dash."

"More questions. What would killing me accomplish for you?"

"Well, it'd liberate the citizens of Manchester, firstly. Then I wouldn't have to worry about being stabbed on my way to work," answered Peter simply.

"How about you two ladies?" Hendrick looked at Spark and Dawn.

"Peter said he'd publish our story if we'd help him." Spark told him.

"Oh, need more attention? 'Oh, boohoo, we need publicity! We're so important!' Cry me a river." Hendrick said mockingly. Spark nearly leapt up and attacked him when she heard Hendrick throwing around their story the way he had done. She grabbed the edges of her chair furiously to restrain herself.

"It's not just for us," she explained, her voice quivering with rage, "It's for the entire flier society. It's a life or death matter!"

"Is that how it is, then?" laughed Hendrick, "Very well, then. Kill them."

"What?" cried Peter, standing up. The other two did the same. Two guards came from their crouching positions behind various articles of furniture and aimed pistols at te group. Spark withdrew her pistol and aimed it at Hendrick's head.

"Go ahead," taunted Hendrick, "I'm not afraid of death. But I'll warn you; killing me won't get you what you want, and you'll be killed by my guards, too."

"What do you mean?" Spark asked, aware that Hendrick may have been stalling. She closed her finger around the trigger.

"I'm sorry to say, but I'm not Mayor Hendrick," the supposed Hendrick revealed, "I'm but a decoy. Killing me will be of no benefit to you."

"He's lying!" Dawn insisted, "Shoot him!" Peter squinted at the imposter.

"He's not Hendrick," Peter said, disappointed. His eyes darted frantically around the room, "In fact, the guard on our left seems to be Hendrick himself!" As soon as Peter said this, the guard he had referred to dashed out of the room. Dawn pulled her pistol out and quickly shot the guard on the right. Blood sprayed into the air.

"Snipers, take them out!" cried the Hendrick doppelganger. The trio dove behind cover and the fake Hendrick ran to the window. Spark looked over her cover once she heard the sniper bullets penetrating the glass window and saw Hendrick's decoy jump, aiming for the pool outside. Spark drew her pistol to the sights and fired a quick shot. A spurt of blood appeared by the imposter's head. His form froze in mid-air as he seized up and began to fall. Spark could not see it, but she heard the crunch to signify he was dead.

"We have to get Hendrick!" cried Dawn.

"The snipers are still aiming at us!" pointed out Peter.

"On the count of three, we're running through that door!" yelled Spark, gesturing to the door the real Hendrick had left through with her head.

"Three, two, one… GO!" They all leapt up simultaneously and jumped through the door. Spark let her friends go first, and pain shot through the back of her right foot.

"Argh!" Blood dripped through the back of her shoe.

"I'm fine!" Spark said in response to the concerned looks at her friends, through she felt the opposite way about her sudden injury.

"Let's get after him!" Spark could her his loud footsteps running down the left hallway.

"Left. LEFT!" Her friends seemed not to hear her, as they turned down the right hallway. Spark was injured, and she was lamping behind. She watched Dawn and Peter run down the incorrect way and out of sight. Spark turned left to the path Hendrick had gone down, which she knew to be the hallway that led back to the storage, to fight Hendrick without her friends.

~O~

Once she made it to the dark storage room, she found Hendrick staring over the edge of the catwalk.

"Don't know your own facility well enough to know there's no way down?" called Spark mockingly. She lagged over to him, slowly pulling out her pistol. Hendrick seemed tired, too.

_This'll be easy, _Spark thought to herself. She approached him closer to make sure not to miss. Hendrick was hobbling over to her as well. Spark began to pull the trigger –

Hendrick had been feigning fatigue. As soon as Spark tried o shoot, he sprung into action. Spark shot once and missed. Hendrick tackled her to the ground and tore out her spare pistol magazines. Spark tried to shoot again, but Hendrick smacked the gun from her hand and it flew off of the catwalk and clattered to the floor. She attempted to kick off the mayor, but her injury prevented her from doing so.

He kept beating her with an assortment of different punches and kicks to various areas of her body. He stood up, pulling Spark up with him. Hendrick didn't hesitate to throw Spark over the catwalk's edge headfirst. Spark threw her hands up and was barely able to turn and grab the ledge.

Hendrick looked down upon her pitifully with his cold, brown eyes. He raised his foot over Spark's fingers and stepped on them. Spark cringed painfully, but did not let go until Hendrick kicked her off. She fell backwards with her hands in the air and slammed into the hard floor, and everything went dark.

~O~

Spark came to consciousness soon, because she saw Peter and Dawn run into the room, with Hendrick still there. Peter ran straight into Hendrick and they began fist fighting. Dawn immediately noticed Spark lying still on the floor in a pool of blood from her foot wound. Peter aimed his pistol at Hendrick, who was on the floor, scrabbling away. Unexpectedly, he kicked at Peter's legs, knocking him down onto the ground.

The pistol flew into the air. Peter reached for it, but Hendrick kicked his hand aside and took the pistol for himself. He saw Dawn, who was running to attack him.

_BANG._ Spark's vision blacked out for a second, then recovered in time for her to see Dawn lying on the walkway, blood dripping through the grating on the catwalk.

_Is she dead?_ Spark was overcome with grief as she stared at an unmoving Dawn. She looked over to Peter, who was being repeatedly punched by Mayor Hendrick. Spark's head rolled to the left uselessly, and her eyes fell upon a pistol, the one that Hendrick had thrown out earlier. Her vision swam uncomfortably. She struggled to crawl over to the pistol, pulling at the ground and bringing the red stains with her. The pistol was inches away from Spark's grasp.

_Click-click._ She looked up to see Hendrick using Spark's reserve ammunition to reload the pistol he had shot Dawn with, aiming at Peter. Spark's sweaty hands slipped off of the pistol, but she grabbed it the second time she swiped for it. Time seemed to slow down as Hendrick cocked the gun while Spark aimed, her arm shaking uncontrollably.

_BANG._ Spark fired once and dropped her arm, too tired to support it any longer. Hendrick took the bullet through the side of the head and was launched over the other side of the catwalk. His body was hanging over the edge. Hendrick was dead. Peter stood up slowly and looked down to Spark in shock, seeing her wound and the bloodbath. Then he looked at Dawn and experienced similar shock. He tore off Hendrick's sleeves and began to wrap one around Dawn's…

_Hopefully not heart or head… _Spark prayed weakly, still unsure if Dawn was alive. Peter hoisted Dawn over his shoulder and jumped off of the catwalk. He grunted in pain, clearly straining his ankles and legs. He limped over to Spark, who tried to keep her eyes open.

"Are you okay?" whispered Peter.

"I…" It was the only word Spark could manage to cough for a moment.

"You saved me," Peter said, wrapping a tourniquet around Spark's foot wound.

"Are we going to be okay?" asked Spark weakly.

"You guys are going to be just fine," Peter said as Spark finally succumbed to the imminent darkness.

_Author's Note: The third and final installment is still being written on paper; it is much longer, and hopefully more enjoyable for you to read. It may take a while to start pumping out chapters. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your understanding._


End file.
